1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus including means that upon receiving the same signal, delivers recording sheets to a plurality of printers each of which reproduces an image on a recording sheet or for collects the recording sheets from the printers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are currently used copying machines of such a type that an original to be copied is imaged directly on a photosensitive member, and the image is visualized and transferred onto a copy sheet. In these copying machines, a single scan relative to the original provides only a single copy so that the copying speed is low. To increase the speed or rate of copy (efficiency), the copying machine must be driven at an increased speed. However, the increased speed brings about various problems with respect to the sensitivity of the photosensitive member, the processes for developing, cleaning, transferring and other processes limited by the mechanical construction. Therefore, it is, in fact, impossible to increase the speed of the copying machines more than a certain amount.
A digital type copying machine has been proposed to improve the efficiency of copying without increase of the speed of copying. Such a digital copying machine comprises a reader as shown in FIG. 1, in which an original is illuminated by a fluorescent lamp a and imaged on charge coupled elements c through an optical system b. Each of the charge coupled elements then generates an electrical signal which is in turn supplied to a known printer shown in FIG. 2 for directly printing on an electrostatic recording sheet or which is converted into a photo-signal to be recorded on a copy sheet through an electrophotographic process. The electrical signals can be supplied to a plurality of printers P.sub.1, P.sub.2 and P.sub.3 as shown in FIG. 3 so that a plurality of copy sheets will simultaneously be copied. In such an arrangement of the prior art, however, each of the printers has its own sheet delivering device, that is, a cassette K.sub.1, K.sub.2 and K.sub.3. If each of the cassettes becomes empty, that cassette must be re-supplied independently in a cumbersome operation.
Further, in such a copying machine, since the original image is converted into an electrical signal, which can be supplied to each of the printers P.sub.1, P.sub.2 and P.sub.3 as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to obtain a plural number of copies so that the copying efficiency is improved without changing the driving speed of the copying machine. However in this case, since a plurality of printers are used, they must have the respective sheet receiving trays as shown by T.sub.1, T.sub.2 and T.sub.3 in FIG. 4. This means that the copied sheets from the respective printers should be collected from each of the trays in a troublesome operation. Since a single tray is disposed relative to each of the printers, no sorter can be connected with this type of copying machines.